Can Craniosacral Therapy Help Tinnitus?
Craniosacral Therapy is an evidence-based hands-on method of relieving pain and improving mobility by evaluating and normalizing bones, tissues and fluid that surround our central nervous system, including brain and spinal cord.
Tinnitus usually appears following times of excitement, stress, ear infection or loud noise exposure that cause your hearing to become extremely sensitive. These situations cause your ears to become hyper-aware of surrounding noise levels and you become sensitive to what they hear.
Symptoms
Craniosacral therapy may provide relief for those experiencing tinnitus due to preexisting medical conditions like high blood pressure or anemia, including the symptoms of ringing in their ears. By manipulating skull and sacrum bones gently, craniosacral therapy works to clear away blockages in cerebrospinal fluid flow that hinders our nervous systems from performing optimally.
Brain and spinal cord are protected by a membrane containing cerebrospinal fluid produced by the central nervous system, known as cerebrospinal fluid. Over time, this fluid may become restricted causing strain on our nervous systems which in turn leads to fatigue and an increase in stress which in turn amplifies symptoms of tinnitus. If we allow our craniosacral system to function freely this allows our bodies to naturally deal with stress more effectively which in turn reduces symptoms associated with tinnitus symptoms significantly.
Craniosacral therapy sessions typically last between 50 minutes and an hour and focus on reconnecting your energy source, providing grounding and balance. A session can last anywhere between fifty minutes to an hour.
Your therapist will address any underlying causes of your tinnitus during treatment. In many instances, noise-induced hearing loss causes tinnitus; hearing aids may provide relief; but for others it could be due to medical conditions like otosclerosis or benign tumors; additionally it could even be the result of blockage in either your ear canal or cochlea.
Traditional Chinese medicine holds that hearing ringing or tinnitus as an indicator that your kidney meridian has lost some of its natural energy, Craniosacral therapy can stimulate this meridian and help reduce your tinnitus symptoms; typically just a few sessions can restore some sense of well-being after years of stress or tension have shut you down.
Causes
Many people develop tinnitus due to other health problems, including chronic neck pain, high blood pressure, migraines or medications. While in some instances the condition that caused it is remedied and so does its symptoms; sometimes however, tinnitus continues to exist long after its cause has been addressed and in such instances conventional or alternative treatment solutions must be sought out to reduce noise and improve quality of life.
Craniosacral therapy is an all-natural and holistic way of managing the symptoms of tinnitus, providing a safe and holistic solution to its treatment. Craniosacral Therapy works to release compression that has built up in bones in the head, spinal column, sacrum as well as stimulate parasympathetic branch of nervous system to decrease threat perceptions and stress responses.
Craniosacral Therapy can be an invaluable treatment option for those suffering from tinnitus as a result of stress or tension in their neck, jaw or shoulders. The gentle nature of this approach allows the release of tension that leads to tinnitus in these areas. Craniosacral Therapy also offers great benefits when dealing with anxiety and depression associated with tinnitus – studies have revealed that those living with chronic tinnitus are at increased risk of depression as their condition causes them to feel helpless and powerless in managing it all alone.
Tinnitus is an increasingly prevalent problem, affecting between 10-20% of the population. While not a serious medical condition, tinnitus can still significantly impact quality of life for those affected. When treating this condition holistically and managing its symptoms successfully is crucial. Meditation practice, yoga classes, tai chi or Pilates lessons or using other relaxation techniques such as aromatherapy may all help manage it effectively while learning to live with it more comfortably.
Treatment
Craniosacral therapy can be an invaluable treatment option, whether or not you suffer from tinnitus. By helping restore calm to the body, this therapy serves as an ideal complement to other forms of treatment, including Masking and Neuromodulation.
Masking involves any sound that serves to distract from tinnitus so you can focus on something else, from external noises such as traffic sounds to white noise generators. The aim is to displace its threat status in favor of it being just another background noise – something which may prove particularly helpful if your tinnitus is loud and disturbing.
For more permanent relief of your tinnitus, masking can help. By sending internal sounds that mimic its tone directly into your mind’s ears, this trick works to convince it that tinnitus is not real but just associated with certain activities – this strategy may prove particularly useful if it sounds similar to rain or crickets.
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle manual technique which works to release any tension or restrictions of the craniosacral system – comprising tissues and fluids which surround and protect your brain and spinal cord – known as craniosacral system. When this system becomes stressed it can interfere with how your central nervous system operates and cause headaches, back pain, vertigo or similar symptoms to appear.
Over time we experience traumas of all sizes – whether from injury, illness, or just the stresses of daily life. These events may lead to changes in our fascia – the network of connective tissue throughout our bodies – putting strain on other systems and leading to dysfunction – such as tinnitus in this case.
CST practitioners possess an in-depth knowledge of the subtle motions of the craniosacral system. Treatment typically entails using unobtrusive yet gentle touches – often no touching at all – to encourage relaxation in various parts of the body, such as cranium, sacrum, temporal bones and ears. Sessions usually last from 50 minutes to an hour.
Prevention
As previously stated, many measures can be taken to prevent or mitigate the effects of tinnitus. Regular exercise and eating well will decrease incidence; in addition to this, maintaining a healthy nervous system will prevent it from going into stress response mode and intensifying volume or intensity of tinnitus. If neck, jaw or shoulder tension/issues contributes to it tinnitus may benefit from treatment to restore balance so its sound will decrease over time.
Becoming engaged in hobbies or activities to stimulate and engage the brain can also help keep its attention off tinnitus noise, helping individuals learn to ignore it until it eventually fades away. If tinnitus stems from hearing loss, using hearing aids may provide extra sounds like speech that make tinnitus less noticeable.
Craniosacral therapy, a gentle hands-on manual technique used to relieve tension in the central nervous system. Trained specialists use light touch techniques to evaluate membranes and fluid movements within your craniosacral system that runs from your skull down to your sacrum (tailbone area), improving flow of cerebrospinal fluid which has profound impacts on all aspects of body systems.
Alternatively, craniosacral therapy may help relieve tinnitus caused by loud noise exposure by relieving tension from your body and therefore relieving symptoms of tinnitus. It may even alleviate symptoms altogether!
If you would like more information on managing tinnitus or craniosacral therapy, visit the links below for further research and discovery. Additionally, contact your local support group where additional guidance and advice may be offered in terms of managing it effectively. Best wishes!